The Sunshower
by GoldenQuill7
Summary: More than once, he had heard her described as "vivacious". He felt like he'd never known the meaning of the word until that moment. Oneshot.


A.N. Written just because some of the imagery in this story wouldn't leave me alone, but it didn't turn out as good as I hoped it would. Probably will rewrite at another time.

Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm poor.

* * *

The air was still balmy even as the summer breeze left, and the trees were slowly turning orange in its absence. Ominous grey clouds hovered overhead despite the warmth of the day, but they were all too excited to notice, much less care.

The Gryffindors had been the last to leave the castle, courtesy of Sirius managing to upset the Fat Lady enough for her to refuse passage until he apologised for all eight ways he had offended her. As a result, the Marauders had lain low while the rest of the house - furious by this point – had marched past them on their way to Hogsmeade for the first time that year. Upon deciding that it was safe to venture out, they had come to bring up the rear of the long, scattered procession of students, a fair distance away from the small group of sixth-year girls in front.

James tried to feign disinterest in the party, as one of its members had failed to acknowledge his existence ever since the disastrous episode after their OWLs the year before. He had resolved not to waste any more time fancying the likes of Lily Evans ever since, though she had made a considerable wound in his ego that continued to badger him.

So instead, he concentrated very hard on the tale Sirius was spinning about a motorcycle he was lusting after.

"I swear I just felt a raindrop!" Peter suddenly squeaked, reaching for the back of his neck.

"Shush, Wormtail, I'm talking – it's very rude to interrupt, you know."

"It's also rude to shush people." James pointed out slyly, and Sirius aimed a kick at him.

"When did you become Saint Padfoot, patron of manners and etiquette, anyway?" Remus enquired sardonically, raising an eyebrow. Sirius pretended to look wounded.

"I will have you know, Moony, that I am a paragon of — ARGGHH!"

The heavens had opened, and the torrent of fat drops made it difficult to see Hogsmeade in the distance as the sun had broken through the cloud and shone brilliantly gold. James had cast a water-repelling charm on his glasses for Quidditch years ago, and watched as the little group before them reacted similarly to the way Sirius had, desperately trying to shield his hair from the onslaught of water.

Running for cover was pointless – the trees offered very little shelter, and both the village and castle were too far to run from where they were. With a resigned air, the four of them pulled their jackets over their heads and sat on one of the stone walls bordering the surrounding fields.

"We look like sad nuns."

"What's a nun?"

"Shut up, Sirius."

James wasn't listening; all hope of pretence abandoned, he was watching her.

The girls had also given up on any notions of staying dry, but instead of waiting it out, had jumped over a gate into the field. Smiling and squealing, they jumped in the newly-formed puddles and kicked the mud at each other. He understood the excitement - rain was nothing special, but sunshowers were rare.

For her part, Lily had turned up her hands and begun to spin with her head angled toward the sky, whirling round and round, lost in the sensation of the light and the rain. She continued this way, until finally falling to the ground, breathless with laughter.

More than once, he had heard her described as "vivacious". He felt like he'd never known the meaning of the word until that moment. Soaked to the skin, long hair dripping, smiling and eyes shining, he had never seen anyone who looked more alive than she did just then. And for the first time, what he felt in his chest wasn't the usual flutter, but slow, spreading warmth that seemed to reach the tips of his fingers and toes.

As the downpour began to thin, the emerging sunlight caught the lighter drops and new mist, and the very air seemed to be alight with tiny fireflies. Sopping shoes in hand, Lily and her friends trudged through the mud and clambered over the gate once more, before heading toward the castle – and the Marauders.

"All right?" Sirius snickered as the little group passed them, lingering for a moment to exchange banter and giggle at Sirius' responses, and after a while he jumped off the wall and the circle drifted a short way from the wall. Lily did not engage with the others, instead focusing very intently on her shoes. For James' part, he made a show of attempting to dry off his jacket with magic.

"Go on," she finally sighed, looking up at him wearily.

"What?"

"Say whatever 'charming' thing it is you've been preparing since the beginning of the year."

James frowned.

"What," he replied "makes you think that I spend my spare time trying to think of things to say to you?"

"How long will it take me to go through six years of supporting evidence?" he thought he imagined the twinkle in her eye "Besides, every time I've seen you this year, you look like you want to say something. So go on, get it over with."

James remained silent.

"Merlin help me, I never thought I'd see the day _I_ tried to make _you_ talk, Potter," she said in an exasperated tone.

"Well there's no point is there?" he shot back, finally incensed "you've made it pretty clear that you despise me, so I'm doing you a favour and leaving you alone, alright?"

Lily was speechless for a moment, and James went back to looking at his hands. There was a very long, very pregnant pause.

"I saw you helping those first-years the other day," she finally said softly "in the Common room… You know, with the Transfiguration thing…"

"Yeah?" he replied gruffly.

"It was nice of you."

He raised his eyes to meet hers; they were strangely unguarded. He shrugged, hunching his jacket further up his shoulders despite the sudden humidity.

"Yeah, well, I'm working on not being so much of a… what's that word you use?"

"Toerag?"

"Yeah," he snorted at the ridiculous word "That."

"Oh… It's not because of our… Disagreement… last year?"

He felt annoyance spark up in him very suddenly.

"Contrary to popular opinion, Evans, my every action is not dictated by whether or not it will impress you."

She looked a little abashed, and shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly eager to end the exchange.

"Right. Sorry. Well, I'm going to go, so…"

"Yeah, see you around then," his indifference was so contrived that he could hear it himself.

"Yeah."

He watched her figure retreat down the muddy slope. In truth, his recent behaviour changes had not been because of her vitriol – if that were so, he would have become a paragon of virtue many years before. It had taken a nasty illness for him to realise that his parents were getting old, and for the first time he wanted them to be proud of him – not just for his brains or his Quidditch talents, but for the person he was. So he began to become not only James Potter the clever, the funny, the athletic, the brave... But also the kind.

Lily was almost out of earshot when she suddenly turned around and cupped her hands to her mouth.

"And Potter?"

He slipped off the wall and called back to her.

"What?"

"I don't despise you!"

With those four beautiful words, she turned and resumed her brisk pace back to Hogwarts, unaware that James was grinning stupidly behind her. Forgotten was his silent pact with himself to forget all about his infatuation with her - after all, one resolution was enough for anyone to stick to.


End file.
